Rib Circles, Slides, Lifts and Drops
This page covers various movements of the torso common in Middle Eastern dance. It is common to find the terms "rib", "ribcage", and "chest" all used interchangeably for these movements.
Sliding the ribcage
Standing in basic position isolate the ribcage and push it to the right then
pull it back to canter and then push it out to the left and back to canter.
When you can isolate this without moving the hips then smooth it out so it
is a slide from left to right without pausing at center.
Horizontal Circle
Keeping the rest of the body still, slide the rib cage to one side, then forward,
the other side, and pull the ribcage back. Try to keep your circle parallel to
the floor. Some people like to emphasize this movement by simultaneously
doing a hip circle in opposition. This makes the movement appear larger
because both hips and chest are moving away from center and each other.
Vertical Circle 1 (side to side)
Keeping the rest of the body still, slide the rib cage to one side, then lift it up
and towards center, slide the rib cage down to the other side, and then
drop the rib cage down and into center. Imagine your chest tracing a clock
on the wall. Make sure to differentiate between lifting the chest up and
pushing it out. You want to make sure you are lifting it so you get a nice
vertical circular movement. Be conscious of your shoulders and arms so
that you do not scrunch your arms in and/or lift the shoulders up. The
shoulders need to stay relaxed and down. See the video to the right for a
demonstration of this movement.
Vertical Circle 2 (front to back)
Keeping the rest of the body still, push the rib cage forward, then lift it
up, pull the rib cage back, and then drop the rib cage back down. This
movement runs parallel to wall on your side. Be careful not to involve the
hips or abdomen in this movement. That would make it into a torso
undulation. Keep the shoulders back, down, and relaxed. Arms should be
out to the side or in any neutral pose. Try to make sure you are isolating
the rib cage so that your body and head are not bobbing back and forth
like a chicken. The movement does not have to be large to be effective so
if your having trouble isolating it try making it smaller.
Circle with a shimmy
Start with just a circle then try to add a shoulder shimmy try it slowly and
small at first then as you grow more comfortable with it increase the speed.
Some people may find it easier to start with the shimmy and then add in the
rib cage cirlce. Be conscious of what your hips are doing and attempt to
keep them still. It is easier to do when you keep the movements small. See
the video to the right for a demonstration of this layered movement.
Lift
Lift the ribcage up. Try to practice lifting then dropping and pushing
forward and back. There is a difference between forward and up. The video
to the right demonstrates both the lift and the drop.
Drop
Drop the rib cage by contracting the diaphragm. Try to practice lifting
then dropping and pushing forward and back. There is a difference
between forward and up. The video to the right demonstrates both the lift
and the drop.
